How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“…Boring.”

Arian muttered as they drove on a road that seemed to be surrounded by nothing but trees. 

They were heading towards a small city called Camden to the south of Little Rock.

In the majority of the scenery visible during such journeys, it was the forest that dominated. Perhaps it was because of the fully ripened summer sunlight, the lush foliage along the road seemed to stretch endlessly, repeating the same scenery no matter how far they traveled.

“Still better than encountering zombies, though,” Aiden quietly remarked.

Ever since entering the southern region, the frequency of encountering looters or zombies on these roads had consistently increased.

Just earlier today, they had encountered around twenty zombies. 

Arian seemed to express her dissatisfaction, opening her mouth as if she didn’t understand.

“Why are there zombies in this forest? It’s not even a place where people would be.”

Of course, zombies were still more concentrated in areas where there used to be a lot of people. 

However, that didn’t mean there were none in sparsely populated areas. 

Over the three-plus years since the appearance of zombies, the corpses had continued to wander in less inhabited places.

“The zombie clusters formed in the city might have spread into the forest. Now, those guys could be anywhere without seeming out of place.”

“…”

Arian made a displeased expression at Aiden’s words. 

She had known that this world was overrun by zombies for a while. But the thought of them wandering in places like deep forests, which were not originally human territories, felt somewhat frustrating.

So, with a short sigh, Arian looked up at the sky. The scorching sun had already tilted to one side.

“Rather than that… shouldn’t we find a hideout soon?”

“Yeah, we should. We’ll arrive soon.”

In about 30 minutes, they would reach the outskirts of the city. That should be enough time to find a hiding place.

Arian turned to Sadie.

“Sadie, are you hungry?”

“I’m okay.”

At that moment, a truck appeared in front of them.

It was an ordinary four-wheel drive vehicle standing alone in the middle of the road. The cargo space at the back was shaped like a rectangular box, and from a distance, it looked no different from any other abandoned junk car.

However, as they approached the truck, Aiden quickly sensed danger. 

The clean driver’s seat window, the bumper without a speck of rust, and even the fully inflated tires – it was all too well-maintained to be a vehicle left outdoors.

“Arian.”

Aiden called Arian.

If there were people nearby, he thought she would have sensed it. 

However, Arian, who was chatting with Sadie, nonchalantly replied:

“What?”

“Don’t you feel any human presence?”

“People? No, nothing.”

Aiden slightly tilted his head at Arian’s denial.

It was a two-lane road surrounded by a forest.  If it was beyond Arian’s perception range, it was a place with no hiding spots to snipe from. 

In that case, did the owner of the truck leave the car here and go far away?

“That truck is suspicious. There are traces of human use.”

“Oh…?”

Arian, who had thought of the truck as mere background, now started to scrutinize it. 

Only then did she notice the human hand marks on the truck.

“Really. Where could the owner have gone?”

“They probably didn’t go too far.”

“Anyway, there’s nothing around here. We can get down and check. What do you think?”

At Arian’s question, Aiden quickly made a decision.

The owner of the truck most likely came from Camden, the city where Aiden intended to stay for the night.

So, ignoring and passing by here would increase the chances of encountering them again.

In that case, it might be better for Aiden to make contact here.

Therefore, Aiden decided to investigate the truck to gather information about the owner.

“That sounds good.”

Aiden said, getting out of the car.

Arian followed him.

Meanwhile, Sadie quietly stayed in the vehicle.

Aiden approached the truck.

The driver’s seat was spacious enough for only two people. Even if they squeezed, it could accommodate three to four people at most.

Aiden then examined the back of the truck, the cargo space for loading goods.

The door of the cargo space, which could also serve as a refrigerator or freezer, was slightly open.

Aiden opened the cargo space.

“This is…”

Inside were several weapons such as guns and knives. There were also hunting tools like nets and traps. 

Additionally, there were some miscellaneous items like towels and clothes.

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like someone was riding in it.”

Aiden agreed with Arian’s guess. 

If this cargo space was densely packed with people, the number of people the truck carried could have been over ten. 

However, if it was empty, the owner of this truck was at most four people. Perhaps even just one person.

Now, for Aiden, who was about to make contact with these owners, the burden had significantly decreased.

“We should look for the owner.”

“What will you do if you find them?”

“If they are a person we can communicate with, we’ll make a deal. If not, we may have to subdue them.”

Arian simply nodded at his words, and Aiden began searching the nearby bushes.

It was about finding traces of someone passing by.

And finding that in a sparsely populated forest wasn’t a difficult task.

The damp ground hidden under dense leaves where sunlight didn’t reach.

There were clear footprints of someone.

“Someone headed west. That’s all.”

Although Aiden searched the forest around the truck, he found only one set of footprints.

Whether Aiden overlooked something or the opponent was indeed alone, he decided to follow the trail.

“Sadie, get out of the car. It’s better for everyone to move here.”

Aiden called Sadie.

Arian’s abilities were crucial for finding people in this dense forest. 

Of course, leaving the vehicle alone here was uneasy, but there was no other choice.

“…”

Aiden forged ahead, trudging through the bushes.

As they stepped on the low-lying weeds, bugs flew up.

After entering the forest like that, not much time had passed when Arian’s voice rang out.

“…Found them.”

“How many?”

“One.”

“Got it. Which way?”

Aiden moved in the direction she pointed.

Soon, from behind the dense bushes, the sound of footsteps was heard.

Whether they were setting traps or not, there was a clicking sound.

“You guys wait here.”

Aiden took out his pistol and put on his helmet.

Then, he slowly approached the source of the sound.

As if the person there had heard Aiden’s footsteps, the sound stopped.

The distance between the two was only about 5 meters.

While each hid behind a tree, Aiden was the first to speak.

“The truck on the road. Are you the owner?”

“…”

There was no immediate response.

Nevertheless, undeterred, Aiden continued:

“I don’t intend to fight. I’m not planning to take the truck either. I just want to have a conversation for now.”

Finally, a voice came from the other side.

It was the voice of an elderly man, aged, with a sense of maturity.

“Conversation? What… what are you after!”

“Information. It’s my first time in this city.”

“Hmph, trying to act all reasonable.”

The old man seemed to ponder how to respond for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, he said something that caught Aiden off guard.

“If you want information so badly, I’ll tell you one thing. Get out of here; it’s dangerous!”

“Dangerous?”

“Yeah. Don’t you understand, you fool? There’s nothing good about staying here for long.”

Aiden couldn’t determine if it was just a common warning or if there was another reason behind it.

However, feeling no more hostility than necessary from the old man, Aiden decided to reveal himself first.

Visible behind a tree was a black gun. Certainly not a weapon that could penetrate Aiden’s bulletproof helmet, it was a 9mm firearm.

Deciding to take the risk, Aiden spoke up.

“Let’s start with showing our faces and talking.”

“What?”

“I’ll come out first.”

Aiden emerged from the bushes where he had been hiding.

At that moment, an old man cautiously peeked out from behind a tree.

He had white hair, similar to Santa Claus, and appeared to be around his seventies. Aiden expected someone not that old, but this man surpassed his expectations.

The old man, holding a gun towards Aiden, inquired:

“What are you doing? You’re exposing yourself even though I said it’s dangerous.”

“I’m Aiden Lee, a junk dealer.”

Aiden casually revealed his name and stared directly at the old man’s face.

“…Roman Harris.”

Roman, who reluctantly revealed his name, slowly came forward.

Holding a gun and a large rifle behind his back, the stout man faced Aiden confidently.

It was Roman who spoke first.

“Are you alone?”

Aiden shook his head.

Then the question came back.

“What about the others?”

“I left them waiting in the back.”

Roman glanced at Aiden’s back.

However, there was only dense foliage visible, with nothing else in sight.

Upon this, Roman sighed briefly and spoke.

“Well… fine. What do you want to talk about?”

“If it’s true that this place is dangerous, what’s the reason?”

“Heh, just leave. What does it matter if I’m lying?”

Roman asked, seemingly contemplating how to respond.

However, Aiden responded mechanically.

“Is it a lie?”

“Of course not.”

With a dry cough, Roman seemed to express his reluctance.

“It seems like you can’t understand words. I’ll show you directly.”

Roman led Aiden into the forest.

After walking about 100 meters, a small clearing appeared.

There was a small camp, seemingly set up temporarily by a few people in the woods.

However, the current state of the camp was horrifying.

“This is…”

Where there should have been a couple of small tents, torn pieces of fabric were scattered around instead.

The green grass and leaves were stained red, not only with vivid blood but also with what appeared to be human flesh and bone fragments.

Aiden was momentarily cautious of Roman due to this sight, but soon realized that the traces were not created by humans.

The carnage, resembling human predation, was too destructively chaotic to be the work of humans.

“…Zombies?”

Roman raised an eyebrow.

Upon closer inspection, it was too noisy compared to traces left by regular zombies and humans.

Moreover, if it were ordinary zombies, it would be rare for them to completely devour a person even if they bit them.

The reason was their virus.

The virus injected into the bloodstream turned human blood into a zombie’s bodily fluid within a few minutes. From that point on, zombies sensed a repulsion towards the bodily fluids of infected individuals, refraining from touching their bodies.

Of course, throwing a non-moving human into a group of dozens or hundreds of zombies might be a different story.

But unless someone artificially manipulated the situation, they would turn into a zombie before their entire body was consumed.

And this forest was too secluded for such artificial manipulation.

So Aiden naturally thought of a presence that could make it possible.

“Then, mutants.”

“You catch on quickly. See this?”

Roman touched the ground.

There, there was a footprint much larger than a human’s, with a round sole and distinct imprints of four toes.

However, Aiden had no knowledge to guess the animal’s identity just by looking at the footprint.

“Is this a wolf?”

“No, it’s from a cougar. Mountain lion. There’s a cougar turned zombie around here. This is the territory of that cougar Beast.”

Cougar.

No more words were needed to describe such a formidable beast.

If such a creature turned into a zombie, it would be an absurd threat, just as Roman said.

But Roman’s words continued.

“Moreover, it’s not an ordinary one. After becoming a zombie, its size has increased like a buffalo, and its teeth can chew through steel plates. Look at that sight.”

Roman kicked a piece of wood lying on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the handle of a wooden baseball bat.

However, the top part had been torn away by something, making it invisible.

The strength needed to break a wooden baseball bat like that indicated the beast that attacked here had extraordinary power.

Aiden naturally recalled the mutated Beast he witnessed in Fort Wayne.

The one that almost broke through the defense line guarded by dozens of armed junk dealers, enhanced in size and muscle strength like this cougar.

Such a creature wandering this forest was a significant threat.

“Moreover, it’s highly intelligent. It seems to play more tricks than an ordinary cougar, huh?”

Roman’s words continued.

He seemed to know a lot about this cougar.

“So, accidents like this are common. Ignorant wanderers passing through the forest and roads become prey to the attacks.”

However, there was something strange.

Why did this old man know so much about this cougar?

Moreover, why was he here if he knew so much?

“What are you doing here then?”

“What am I doing here?”

Roman answered Aiden’s question sullenly.

“A hunter hunts in the forest. What else do you think I was doing?”